Dozens of residents got a chance to stay a little warmer on Thursday during a winter clothing distribution event inside the Killingly Community Center.

The distribution, an annual tradition overseen by the school district, offered hundreds of coats, gloves, blankets and hats to families a little down on their luck, said Emily Alvord, a preschool instructional assistant who ran this year’s clothing collection drive.

“This started years ago, and we still see the need today,” she said. “There are two homeless shelters here, along with many transitional programs and a huge segment of the population that’s low-income.”

That combination of factors equals a lot of need, Alvord said. She said clothing collecting goes on year-round and is a true community effort.

“There’s clothing bins at the schools, and we get donations from local business, churches and residents,” she said. “We collected about 600 coats this year — I had 300 at my house alone.”

Tyler Daley, one of the event’s high school volunteers, was tasked with letting in groups of people from a long line snaking from the cafeteria collection point.

“It’s a tough job, because I hate telling people to wait,” said the 17-year-old. “But it’s a good thing being here, and helps me to appreciate what I have.”

Arlene Fields, a Danielson resident who described herself as living on the street, was searching through a box of gloves, part of her mission to get clothing for five family members.

“It’s a good thing having this now,” she said. “There’s a lot of people around here who need the help. I’ve found two coats so far, one for my little girl.”

Marie Paulina, who’s been assisting with the donations for the last 10 years, said she’s seen some significant changes in the last decade.

“We get fewer coats than we used to, and there’s a higher need,” said Paulina, the adviser to the high school’s Mosaic group. “But what we have gets used. If clothing isn’t picked up here, we offer it to the shelters, then town halls and other groups, right to the last piece.”

Paulina described herself and other volunteers as “middlemen,” conduits linking donators and the needy.

“It’s all about making that connection,” she said. “We can’t do everything, but we can do that piece. And people are just as glad to give as people are who get the clothes.”